Can opener



Mar. 3, 1925. v 1,528,178

. E. ANDERSON Jam-OPE ER; Y

' Filed Jime a, 1921 //v l/E/V TOR. EDM/V ANDERSON.

Patented Mar. 3, 19 25.

u'NlT osIATEs] PATENT lOFFI EDWIN ANnEnsoN, or FRANCISCO, oALIroRNIA, ASSIGNOR, B'Y MESNE AssIGN- MEN'IS, TO STAB cAN OPENER COMPANY, or sAN rRANoIsco, cALIronNI A CORPORATION or c-AnrronNrA.

Application meq June a,

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWIN ANDERSON, a

citizen of theUnited States, residing at the city and county of San Francisco and State rectly and positively applied to the end of a of the can.

- ample in the accom can and thereafter actuated to accurately and positively cut through the wall of the canim'mediately below the double seam, all of which operation may be brought about without mutilation of the can body or without spilling the contents thereof. The present invention contemplates the use of a guide roller coo erating with a cutting roller, said p'air'o rollers being mov- .able relative to each other and adapted to cut through the body ofthe can while auto matically moving around the circumference The invention is illustrated by way of ex-' anying drawing, in which j 5- -Fig. 1 isa view in sideelevation showing the complete invention as applied to a can a part of which is brokenawa I 1 Fig. 2 is a view in lan s owing the can .openeroperatively dlsposed relative to a Fig. 3 is another form of the present invention by which the same result may be obtained. I 1

Referring more particularly to the drawing, indicates a can having a cap 11 ,dis-

posed 'thereov'er and bound. thereto by a,

suitable double. seam 12. In this class of cans the main portion of the cap is depressed, thus forming anoutwardly extending rib at the end of the can. Acting against the inner face of this rib which in reality constitutes the double seam, is a guide roller 13. This guide roller has a flat end face resting against the flat endofthe can cap and a cir-' 'cumferential face resting against the inner side of the rib or;seam.' The rolleris free to rotate upon a pin 14 carried on the lower face of a jaw member 15. The. jaw member CAN OPENER.

1921;v semi No. 476,066.

is formed as a continuation of a handle 16.

A pivot bolt' 17 is carried by the handle and pivotally connects it with a second handle 18 having a jaw- 19. The jaw'19 is formedwith a boss 20 through which a crank shaft 21 extends. Secured to the lower end of this shaft and against the underflat face of the jaw 19 is a combined forward'and cutting member 22. This member comprises a .cylindrical feed roll 23 and a circular cutting disk 24. .The outer circumference of the feed .roll is knurled to frictionally engage the face of the double seam 12. The cutting disk 24 is formed with a bevelled cutting edge having a square. upper face and a.

bevelled lower face. The thicknesses of the disks 13 and 23 of the rollers are suchas to cause the cutting edge of the disk 24 to penetrate the side of the can along a 'line beneath the inner face of the can cap 11, as

clearly shown in Fig. 1. Thus, when the cutting disk is rotated by the crank arm 25 the can cap will be severed from the can at a point below the double seam, thus leaving ahsmooth undistorted lip around the body of t e can.

When the can is being rotated between the rollers the cutter edge being of greaterdiameter than the rollers is caused to advance through the can material while its roller merely rolls against the can edge, thereby causin a cleaner out than if its action was that o rolling through the said material.

In the form of the invention shown in Fig. 3 the roller 13 is mounted upon a pivot pin -14 .carried at the end of-a rigid bar 15. The element 22 is slidably mounted on the bar .15 and is-carried-by a slide block 26 through which the crankshaft 21 extends. A thumb piece 27 is formed at "the end ofthis block so that the cutting'disk 24 may be forced out-- wardly to penetrate the'sideI wall of the can. I

In the operation of the present invention the 'handles .16 and 18are. separated, thus causing the rollers 13 and 23' to move apart. The

roller 13 is then positioned within the reca. v

cessed portion of the can cap' 11 and-held against the inner face "of the seam. The plier handles are then forced together as they are gripped by one hand of the operator and will tend tocause the sharp cutting 7 erted upon the handles will cause frictional engagement of the feed roller 23 with the seam and will produce an advance movement of the cutting element as the feed roller is continuously rotated. The seam of the can will be positively gripped between the guide roller 18 and feed roller 23, while the upper flat face of the cutting disk 24 will tend to.

hold the disk in position to cleanly cut the can at a point directly below the double seam.

In the form of the invention shown in Fig. 3 the same result is accomplished, although the cutting element 22 is bodily moved by the slide block 26 and is held in position by outward pressure against the thumb piece 27. It will thus be seen that the device here disclosed is capable of universal application to .double seamed cans and, while positively holding the can will permit the cap to be gleanly and readily severed from the can ody.

While I have shown the preferred form of my invention, it is to be understood that various changes may be made in the device by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention.-

Having thus described my invention,

what I claim and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a can opener, a driving roller fixed on a spindle and having a knurled periphery, a pair of handle members pivoted together one of said members having a recess, the other member carrying a bearing adapted to seat in said recess when the members are gripped together about the pivot, a spindle and hand operating portion carried in said bearing and adapted to rotate said driving roller, and an idler roller on the other member positioned opposite said driving roller, and a cutter disc adjacent one of said rollers and arranged to overlap the handle of the other roller when in cutting, position.

2. In a can opener a driving roller and opposite thereto an idler roller, a cutter disc having a common axis with one of said rollers, a pair of handle members pivoted together as levers of the first order, one of said rollers mounted on one end of one of the members and the other roller and the cutter disc mounted on the end of the other member, said cutter disk being directly in terposed between the pivot connecting the handle members and the axis of the firstnamed roller when said members are in cutting position, and means for rotating one of said rollers. r

3. In a can opener, a driving roller fixed on a spindle and having a knurled periphery, a pair of handle members pivoted to-' gether one of said members having a recess, the other member carrying a bearing adapted to seat in said recess when the members are gripped together about the pivot a spindle and hand operating portion carried in said bearing and adapted to rotate said driving roller, and an idler roller on the other member positioned opposite said driving roller, and a cutter disc adjacent one of said rollers, said cutter disk being directly interposed between the pivot connecting the handle members and the axis of the first-named roller when said members are in cutting position.

4. In a can opener a driving roller and opposite thereto an idler roller, a cutter disc having a common axis with one of said rollers, a pair of handle members pivoted together as levers of the first order, one of'said rollers mounted on one end of one of the members and the other roller and the cutter disc mounted on the end of the other member and said cutter disk being directly interposed between the pivot connecting the handle members and the axis of the first-named roller when said members are in cutting position whereby when the handles are gripped together the axes of the two rollers and the cutter disc are brought nearly into alignment with the said pivot.

5. In a can opener, a driving roller fixed on a spindle and having a knurled periphery, a pair of handle members pivoted together one of said members having a recess, the other member carrying a bearing adapted to seat in said recess when the members are-gripped together about the pivot a spindle and hand. operating portion carried in said bearing and adapted to rotate said driving roller, and an idler roller on the other member positioned opposite said drivin roller, and a cutter disc adjacent one of sai rollers, said cutter disk being directly inter posed between the pivot connecting the handle members and the axis of the first-named roller when said members are in cutting position, whereby when the handles are gripped together the axes of the two rollers and the cutter disc are brought nearly into alignment with the said pivot.

6. In a can opener a driving roller and 0p posite thereto a'n idler roller a cutter disc having a common axis with one of said rollers, hand operable gripping members, one of said rollers mounted on one end of one of the members and the other roller and cutter disc mounted on the end of the other member, said cutter disc being interposed between-the axis of the first named roller and said grip-ping members when in cutting position, and means for rotating one of' said rollers.

7. In a can opener a driving roller and opnamed roller and the gripping members posite thereto an idler roller, a cutter disc when said members are in cutting' position, having 'a common axis with one, of said whereby, when the handles are gripped torollers, hand operable gripping members, gether the axes of the two rollers and the 5 one of said rollers mounted on one end of cutter disc are brought substantially into a each of said members and saidcutter disc beline passing between said grippin members. ing interposed between the axis of the first EDWIN ANDfiRSON. 

